


Collisions

by NixItAll



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Ficlet, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:35:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26826739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NixItAll/pseuds/NixItAll
Summary: Five years after the war, Harry can't stop running into Pansy.Written in July 2015 for a prompt on LiveJournal.Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Relationships: Pansy Parkinson/Harry Potter
Comments: 2
Kudos: 57





	Collisions

“Will these work for any person? Even Muggles?” Pansy asked the Weasley in front of her.  
  
“Yes, all of the items in our children's section don't require magical ability unless you charm them specifically for that.”  
  
“Why would someone do that?”  
  
George answered with a strained smile. “In case your kids are playing with their Muggle friends and don't want to upset them with magic.”  
  
“Uhh,” she hesitated, “my daughter and I don't know any Muggles.” She honestly did not want to sound rude, but old habits die hard.  
  
He started to scowl for a second, but was too good of a salesman to let the expression stay.  
  
“I'll take three Trick Wands and a Repeating Rabbit,” she said while shoving the money towards him, hoping she could get out of there without any more embarrassment. She was in such a rush to get out of the store she walked straight into Harry Potter.  
He caught her before she fell leaving them in an awkward and surprisingly arousing position. She had not seen him since that day at Hogwarts. They hardly travelled in the same circles. She did not travel in anyone's circles anymore, only having come to Diagon Alley on Violet's behalf. He helped her steady herself on her feet.  
  
“I'm sorry.” the words were spoken before she could think them out.  
  
“It's all right, Pansy.” His green eyes showed no malice or spite for her. What he did not know is she really was sorry. For everything.  
  
Her bravado left her so she strutted away from the shop as fast as she could manage.  
  
His gaze followed her as she moved gracefully down the street. He didn't remember her legs being that captivating when they were younger, but he didn't have a mind for admiring Slytherin's legs back then. Or any part of them in general. Her face was hard, but even these five years after the war, his was too.  
  
"Are you ogling my customers, Harry?" George inquired in his not-so-serious way.  
  
Harry gave him a shaky smile, embarrassed at being caught perving over her legs.  
  


***

  
  
He decided to pop into Griswald's Cafe in the building that formerly held Fortescue's ice cream parlor in Diagon Alley since it was a pleasant day. He just wanted to read The Daily Prophet in peace and The Leaky Cauldron was too busy for that. He may not make the paper on a weekly basis anymore, but was still famous enough that if he were to be spotted alone, he would be accosted immediately.  
  
Skipping over any articles penned by Rita Skeeter, he was able to relax and zone out until a familiar voice caught his attention as a pair walked by.  
  
“Sorry, Pansy, I can't help you.” Draco drawled in a voice that held no warmth. She sniffed and stopped while he walked on. Harry kept his eyes on Draco, trying not to look up at Pansy who was obviously trying to stifle tears.  
  
After a moment, he couldn't resist so he stood up and turned around. What he did not realize was that she was standing closer than he had figured.  
  
Consequently, he ran into her. Again.  
  
He caught her (again) and she stared at him astonishingly (again). He set her back on her feet (again), but this time, Harry did not release her so quickly. She felt so warm and pleasant in his arms although her eyes were red. She looked ready to bolt (again).  
  
“Here,” he held out a hankie, “for your eyes."  
  
“I didn't think you liked me.” Pansy sniffled.  
  
“I don't like you, but I can help you and if you need anything, let me know." Harry still had his affinity for 'saving people.'  
  
"I... I can't." With that she was gone, still grasping his handkerchief.  
  


  
***

  
The next time he saw her was in a Muggle bookshop of all places. He was about to approach her, curious about this new attractive, intriguing Patsy, when a shrill voice stopped him.  
  
“Mummy!”  
  
An adorable black haired little girl ran up to her clutching a book. Pansy kneeled down next to her and asked her about it. Harry ducked behind some shelves and try as he might, he couldn't make out the conversation. He knew he should feel bad for eavesdropping, but he was so curious about her daughter. She must have had her soon after seventh year because she looked only a smite younger than Teddy.  
  
When she was standing at the counter and mumbling under her breath about something, he decided to approach.  
  
"Hi, Pansy," he interjected, "can I help you with that?" She looked at him crossly and whispered through gritted teeth so that the shopkeeper couldn't hear.  
  
"I'll never understand this blasted Muggle money." Harry just chuckled knowing that at Hogwarts she would have preferred to be at the end of one of Ginny's bat bogey hexes than take Muggle Studies.  
  
"I'll get you." He could have helped her sort out her money, but he decided to go the chivalrous route and pay for the book himself. He made small talk with the salesman before handing little girl her book.  
  
"My name's Harry Potter and I believe this is your book."  
  
She politely thanked him, "I'm Violet, Violet Parkinson."  
  
As the three of them walked outside, Pansy hesitated a moment, then spoke.  
  
"Thank you. It wasn't my intention for you to pay, it's just so embarrassing to not know what type of money to give them. I didn't expect to find another Wizard in a Muggle shop, but we just can't help but run into each other these days." Harry smiled broadly.  
  
"I like to be able to go places and not be 'Harry Potter'."  
  
"I understand, but for the opposite reason. I'm a pariah in the Wizarding world." Her face fell as she said it.  
  
"You don't even see your housemates anymore?"  
  
"It's complicated..."  
  
Harry didn't press about that one. The girl rescued him before he had a chance to decide what to say in the overwhelming awkwardness.  
  
"Mummy, look a playground!" She pointed across the road to an elaborate park with slides, swings and a miniature castle.  
  
"It's getting late sweetie, perhaps tomorrow," Pansy said consolingly.  
  
"Tomorrow is my day to spend with my godson, he's about your age, I am sure he would like to visit the playground too."  
  
She seemed a bit hesitant, but Violet gave her the most pathetic, pleading face Harry had ever seen. "I suppose so."  
  
"We'll make a day of it then. Say meet back here at 10, yes?"  
  


***

  
Harry did not know if it was from having too much free time or something else, but he was determined to solve the mystery of his strange attraction for Pansy and why fate kept dumping her in his arms. Literally.  
  
He met her near the park after picking up two take away coffees from a local shop. Teddy was an outgoing kid who made friends quickly so all he would have to do is introduce him to Violet, point him in the direction of the playground and let 'Hurricane Ted' do his work.  
  
Harry leaned back on the park bench and laughed at Teddy's attempt to incite a game of tag with the other children. Pansy was still fidgety beside him so in an attempt to not say the wrong thing, he decided to not say anything at all.  
  
"I wanted to apologize," she started hopefully, "for trying to turn you over to You-Know-Who all those years ago." Harry raised his eyebrows. This was not how he thought this conversation was going to go. "I was so scared. I was so worried about my family and I had only, "she paused a bit, "just found out about Violet. With all the Death Eater professors there, it was so dangerous. I made a mistake in Dark Arts and was _Crucio_ 'd for it only the week before. I couldn't put my baby at risk."  
  
Harry contemplated this, he had just assumed she'd had Violet later than that. To be pregnant while Death Eaters ran the school was unimaginable. To be fair, he was also a bit shocked that she had gotten pregnant during school, but during that time, he was too busy trying to keep himself and his friends alive.  
  
"It's all right, Pansy." He figured Violet had to be a year younger than Teddy, but she must be the same age. "I understand completely."  
  
Pansy sniffled. "You didn't have to be so nice."  
  
"My mother gave her life to save mine, I can't imagine any mother would make a different choice." She reached out and set her hand on his.  
  
"Thank you. For understanding. I know I don't deserve that. I was awful to you, to your friends too. I was a stupid kid."  
  
"Doing dumb things as children shouldn't require a life sentence. My father was constantly tormenting Professor Snape, but he matured and changed."  
  
"So that's why he was always hassling you!" Awareness dawned on her face.  
  
Harry did not think adding Snape's fascination with Lily would do his memory any justice with Pansy so he left that part of the family drama out.  
  
Just then the children ran past in a blur of turquoise and black. Pansy broke into a smile, the first time Harry had really seen her face light up like that. Her hand was still on his so it only took a turn of his wrist to hold her hand properly.  
  
"It looks like they'll have a friend at Hogwarts in a few years, you think they'll get sorted into the same house?" Pansy's smile instantly vanished at Harry's question. He had no idea what he'd asked to provoke that. Women were still as mysterious and terrifying as they were in his younger years.  
  
After a pregnant pause she answered, "Violet's not going to Hogwarts. She's a squib."  
  
Comprehension dawned on Harry's face. That was why her old friends abandoned her. She started to let go of his hand, but he gripped hers harder. "That's all right. She's a bright kid, she'll be successful at any school." His words really struck Pansy, every other wizard who knew apologized and consoled her as if her daughter was diseased. Or they outright shunned her like Draco. His unquestioning acceptance brought a few tears to her eyes. She sniffed and reached into her pocket for the stolen handkerchief to wipe her eyes.  
  
"I was going to return this to you today, but I seem to keep needing it."  
  
"Keep it."  
  
"I've never been a crier, but I get upset because I don't know how to help her. I don't know how to make friends with Muggles so I worry she won't have much of a social life. She has no family left other than myself," Pansy lamented. Harry knew about having no social life as a kid. The Dursleys had made sure of that. "Her father died in the big battle at," she broke off, realizing that Harry had been there, "Hogwarts. He set that FiendFyre, that fire that killed him."  
  
"Vincent Crabbe." His mind flashed back to that awful moment in the Room of Requirement.  
  
"Yes."  
  
They sat in silence watching the kids spend their near limitless energy chasing each other around the play park.  
  
"You know," Harry decided a change of subject was at hand, "Teddy's grandfather is a Muggle, I bet he would be willing to help with the ins and outs of finding a proper school for Violet." He leaned over to give her a peck on the cheek, but she turned to face him just then and ended up getting more of a kiss than either of them expected. However, that led to another kiss and another, until they were interrupted by Teddy and Violet's shouts of mirthful teasing at seeing their parents kissing.  
  
Pansy and Harry broke into laughter then promised to take them out for ice cream.

  
  
***

It had been a few weeks since the two of them had decided to give this relationship a go, but they had been sticking to Muggle restaurants and venues. Neville and Hannah Longbottom were having get together in The Leaky Cauldron one Saturday evening so Harry thought it would be a good start to getting Pansy back in Wizarding society.  
  
"So this is the new lady?" George asked Harry mischievously while nudging him with his elbow.  
  
"Yes, George, this is Pansy Parkinson," she politely held out her hand, "Pansy, this is George Weasley."  
  
"Parkinson." Ron muttered as he and Hermione stepped up beside his brother. Pansy nodded nervously to them.  
  
Hermione smiled brightly as Harry had prepared her earlier about Pansy's apprehension concerning the gathering. "Harry tells me you have a daughter too. Our Rose is only six months old. She's with my parents tonight. They're dentists so they are so excited that her first tooth is in. We're just excited for them to babysit because we haven't gotten much sleep since the teething began."  
  
"Dentists?"  
  
"Yes, it's a Muggle Healer profession that works on teeth." Ron rolled his eyes at Hermione's answer, and Harry looked at him disapprovingly. He knew Ron had no idea what a dentist was until he met Hermione.  
  
"Oh, I have so much to learn about these Muggle things."  
  
"It will be fine, I am sure they would be happy to give your daughter, er..."  
  
"Violet." Pansy filled in.  
  
"Violet, a check-up." Hermione finished.  
  
"Thank you." Pansy looked over at Harry who was looking at her with a smug smile. She knew he would say 'I told you so' after this. His friends were kind to her after all.  
  
After an evening of milling about with Harry's friends, she was pleased that nobody seemed to hate her or look down on her. She was delighted that things were finally looking up for her and Violet. Even seeing Draco and Astoria Malfoy walk in the room couldn't bring her down.  
  
She glanced over to Harry to see him looking at her with an expression akin to pride. Her heart swelled in her chest. It did not matter if he was the hero of the wizarding world, he was _her_ hero.


End file.
